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It's expected that Apple's next mobile iOS processor, which will likely be called the A6, will debut alongside the new iPad 3 that should be introduced sometime in the next month or two. Today we're learning that the latest iOS 5.1 beta includes processing core management controls that support both dual-core and quad-core chips. One would of course conclude that the expectation here is that the A6 processor will be a quad-core chip. There's nothing more than rumor for now, but it definitely wouldn't surprise us, based on Apple's update cycle. There are already quad-core Android tablets floating around, and we find it a little hard to believe (though not impossible) that Apple would stick witha dual-core chip rather than iterating to a quad-core design for the next iPad and the iPhone 5.

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We've come to the end of another year, and as we wave goodbye to 2011, we figured it was only fitting that we share the most popular stories published on Gear Live this year, as determined by our readers (we've also got the top ten most read stories regardless of publish date, as well as the ten most popular Gear Live videos of 2011!) These are the ten stories that were read the most, and when you consider that fact, it's pretty surprising to see what made the list. Let's kick it off with our most read story of the year:

Apple is still working out the kinks with its new iPhone 4S, but that's not stopping the rumor mill from generating speculation about the next smartphone due out at a time and place unknown from the Cupertino tech giant, probably known as the iPhone 5.

Hitachi and Sony have "started to ship 4-inch LCD [displays] for [a] new iOS device," the blog reported Sunday, citing an anonymous source. And that's not all—the two companies are also shipping LCD screens for the iPad 3, according to Macotakara. Rumor has it that the next-generation tablet will be the first iPad to use Apple's high pixel-density Retina Display technology.

It looks like Apple Japan has let the cat out of the bag prior to the official announcements set for this morning. Expect Apple to announce the iPhone 4S, an upgraded iPhone 4 with better camera, improved GPS, faster A5 processor, and the new Assistant feature. In addition, it looks like the iPod nano will get updated as well. The iPhone 4S will launch on October 14th!

The iPhone 5 will be revealed in under an hour. In all likelihood, it won't be called that—that's just the general name people are calling the device, since it will technically be the fifth iPhone model from Apple. As with any iPhone launch, there have been the obligatory predictions, analysis, and mountains of rumors, but this launch is different from previous ones in a big and obvious way: Apple is unveiling the next iPhone in the fall instead of summer. Why?

It used to be there was a kind of unwritten agreement between Apple and its customers. Apple didn't say word one about any of its products until they were on the verge of general release. On the other side, customers and observers—the whole world, really—could rely on an extremely regular product release schedule: iPods in the fall, iPads in the winter/spring, and iPhones in the summer. It was so predictable you could plan vacations around it.

It's no longer considered a rumor, Sprint will be getting the iPhone 4S / iPhone 5 (or whatever it ends up being called at tomorrow's iPhone event,) and they are literally betting the future of the company on the Apple smartphone. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company has agreed to pay Apple $20 billion on a 30 million unit order for the next couple of iPhone versions over the next few years, looking to mitigate the exclusive that AT&T and Verizon have had. Sprint would then subsidize each device for $500 to sell to customers, and will likely not see any profits from the gamble until 2014 at the earliest.

Our friends over at MacRumors comissioned to have the video above put together, which is a mock-up that shows how the new Assistant feature on the iPhone 4S / iPhone 5 will work. Take a look, as it's based on knowledge from trusted sources, and is a result of Apple's purchase of Siri. Of course, the iPhone 4S / iPhone 5 will be revealed tomorrow, and we'll have all the details for you here, live.

Apple has confirmed its October 4th iPhone announcement, as they've sent invites out to members of the press inviting us all to join them for the news. Apple's invites are always pretty telling in a vague sort of way. In this one, we see the date and time of the announcement, as well as the location (Apple's Cupertino campus.) The iPhone icon, along with the phrase "Let's talk iPhone." is where the hint is, in our opinion. The big rumored feature of the iPhone 5 is Assistant, which is said to be voice control on steroids. We bet this will be the big feature talked about this time, and you'll certainly be talking to your iPhone a lot more.

We'll have all the news on October 4th as it happens, start to finish!

According to tipsters speaking to AllThingsD's John Paczkowski, Apple's allegedly planning on making its big iPhone 5 announcement at an event on October 4. But contrary to previous announcement events, you won't be seeing Apple executives strutting around the stage at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. According to Paczkowski's sources, Apple's moved the big iPhone announcement to its main campus.

There's no indication as to why the event moved. The reasoning could be as innocuous as the fact that the Yerba Center might already have been booked with another event on October 4. Or, for that matter, Apple might not have exactly known when it was going to be able to produce its iPhone announcement and, thus, hosting the event on its own campus affords the company additional flexibility (and additional time to pick the date).

Okay, we know Apple is set to introduce the next iPhone on October 4, but a leak from a major iPhone case manufacturer seems to imply that we'll be seeing a slight upgrade to the iPhone 4, and that it'll be called the iPhone 4S. It's definitely not a typo, as the case itself has the volume buttons moved to the right side of the iPhone 4S, right above the SIM card slot. As we reported earlier today, Al Gore let it slip that Apple would be releasing new iPhones, plural, in October. Could we see both an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S?